ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / September 13, 2000

The conversation was money. You know what that is; that article for whichwe spend most of our lives pursuing. For money we get up in the earliesthours of the morning or work shift hours, maybe come home late. For moneywe might sometimes forsake home and family in pursuit of. For money wemay compromise values, relationships or anything else. For money we maylie, beg, lie, steal or “sell our souls.” Theatrical, huh? But it happens. In today’s world we use money to get thatwhich we need, or think we need, to survive in one way or another.

Anyhow, at lunch with my friends Wanda and Patricio Bedoya of LaPlace, we shared opinions and viewpoints of what money does for and to people.

Patricio, a native of Ecuador who has adopted this country as his own, and wife Wanda are refreshingly aware of their good fortune in life. As Wandasays, “I feel with a home and good family, we have plenty and we are satisfied.” Pat, who was a dentist in his native country, has a dental-relatedbusiness for which he expresses gratitude. Daughter Stephanie attends ULL -Lafayette and Michelle goes to St. Charles Catholic. They are down-to-earth,non-delusional people who only compete in tennis where Pat is exceptionally gifted and who, I might add, is one of my favorite people. Family is first, andeven though both parents work they all work together. It just seems to methat they have their priorities in order.

Oddly enough, before that conversation I had been thinking about writing something about money, so it all fit in. It’s hard to find people who believethey have enough of it or who don’t want more of it. It is a most desiredcommodity and rules the world, you know. In fact, sometimes money createspower for some and often, as we find out thorough some of our country’s politics and politicians, power brings in money. What a cycle! I agree, though,that “money can’t buy everything.” It definitely cannot buy poverty, but mostseriously, it absolutely cannot buy health and happiness.

Years ago I read about a wealthy society woman who had a serious disease.

The only thing she admitted that her money could do for her was that she could be sick, suffer and die in more comfort than someone who was not as well off. But she did die. That’s the health part, and the happiness part isevident in the TV life story of Doris Duke, a billionaire, whose history says never knew happiness and who died mysteriously.

Then I had a friend who spoke of his parents, happily married over 60 years.

They never had much money but still held hands, and he would always bring her ice cream. We do, however, need to be grateful and thankful that thereare many very generous and giving wealthy people out there who are philanthropists and do so much good for our universities and special causes.

Many probably are very happy, but I don’t believe it’s just because of money.

In the store the other day I was complaining, jokingly, to a clerk that if I stayed home I would have a lot more money. I said, “It seems I can’t leavinghome without spending a considerable sum each time.” She looked at me andsaid, “You are lucky you can do that. I can’t.” She had family obligations, andI felt a little small because I said that.

Money rules the world, you know. That’s why Christmas starts beforeThanksgiving, and even the most despicable people who have it are admired and envied. In fact, wealth can create the strangest of bedfellows and evenamong those, it’s a struggle as to who has the biggest bed.

Most of us have heard “money is the root of all evil.” That is incorrect. Theproper quote is “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Money, we need it. The reality is, there does exist that which cannot bebought. This I believe, but, truthfully, nobody offered me a penny for mythoughts!

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